


Warmth

by WhiteRose_Is_My_Life



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, also mild discussion of old french philosophy, angry flirting, just enough discussion of old french philosophy to satisfy the author, rated T bc brick says fuck a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:24:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20676110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteRose_Is_My_Life/pseuds/WhiteRose_Is_My_Life
Summary: Brick and Blossom have never really gotten along. It's because he hates her, obviously. Yeah, he definitely hates her. He would know.





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kanonberiz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanonberiz/gifts).

> this is sort of an apology fic for my friend, but it's like 20% SBJ's fault. twitter is @wrcassnessa.

Blossom had raised her hand a fraction of a second before him, and their teacher had chosen her. The beaming smile with which the teacher was regarding the girl as she answered the question pissed Brick off, as did the fact that Blossom had been correct. This series of events served to only sour his already poor mood.

Why did she have to look so fucking  _ bright  _ after answering a question correctly.

“Little miss know-it-all,” he muttered quietly, only loud enough for those with super hearing to catch it. He’d immediately noticed her finger twitch, and a small smirk passed across his face. It was somewhat amusing to watch her restrain herself, and the less logical part of Brick wanted to tease her more. 

So he did. When they were given a handout to work on, Brick kept saying the answers out loud, but only loud enough that Blossom could hear. He watched as she turned around to give him a very pointed glare as he said the answer to a question it looked like she’d almost completed. 

He started going faster. Math was easily Brick’s best subject, and watching Blossom start to tick had only urged him on more. 

“That’s enough.” He knew she had said it just as quietly as he was saying his answers, but the fact that he’d gotten a rise out of her at all was promising. 

It kept going. Brick would figure it out just before her, and she was starting to lose it. He could feel the thick tension between them as she looked back at him yet again, bloody murder in her eyes. 

“Oh, is there a problem, little miss know-it-all?” The seeming silence of the room only served to add an extra bit of venom to his comment. 

He saw her break. Physically saw the restraint dead in the water as she stood up and whipped around, eyes glowing. 

It was dead silent in the classroom as everybody watched on, before Blossom broke it. Full volume. 

“You  _ will  _ knock it off, Brick!” She yelled, which got the attention of the teacher. In that moment, neither of them seemed to care, as Brick stood up to match her. 

“Is there a problem with me doing my work, princess?” He spat the last word, and it only served to enrage her more. 

“You are more than capable of doing your work silently!” 

“I wasn’t making a sound!” 

“You knew I could hear you!”

“God, you are such a-“

“That’s enough!” The teacher cut off brick mid-sentence, causing the room to go silent as all eyes moved to the small woman standing at the front of the class. Blossom looked absolutely mortified, and Brick found that he wasn’t particularly happy either. 

“ _ Both  _ of you will be serving detention today, in hopes that you can find some way to,” She paused, seemingly looking for words. “rectify your friendship.” 

“We aren’t fucking friends,” Brick grumbles, but that earns him a sharp look. 

“Is that so? Would it be more accurate to call you an old married couple, since you seem to bicker like one?”

Brick and Blossom were both sporting heavy blushes and he relented, dropping the subject quickly. As he settled rigidly back into his seat, he found that the energy their fight had created in the room was causing every other student to be pointedly looking away. 

Good.

-

“Blossom, I must say I expected better of you.” Ms. Keane chides as they both take their seats in after school detention. Brick notes that Blossom looks dejected at the scolding and looking very small, and a part of him is upset to see her so.  _ Your fault _ , his mind says, and he ignores that thought outright. 

She chose to explode at him, he reasons, but. He had been the one to egg her on. Feelings of doubt began to slowly form in his mind, all but forgotten about the second Ms. Keane addresses him. 

“Brick, I am also quite disappointed to see you here as well. You’ve been doing so well in your classes recently and have mostly stayed out of trouble until this point. As such, I have decided on the perfect detention activity for both of you.”

Blossom perks up. Brick remains paying attention, but shoots a quick glance at her before returning his gaze to Ms. Keane. 

“I will be waiting in the faculty break room across the hall while you two talk to each other and sort out whatever issue is causing you both to break your composure so often. You will both be allowed to go home once you come to an agreement, should that be five minutes or the full two hours. Am I understood?” 

“Yes, Ms. Keane.” They both said, quickly shooting glares towards each other. The principal sighed, but nodded and left the room. 

Ms. Keane’s absence had left a deafening silence in the detention room, and Brick very pointedly looks away from Blossom. He hears her sigh once and doesn’t so much as move a muscle, eyes fixated on the clock. About a minute later, she sighs deeply again. Again the next minute. And then the next. By the fifth sigh, he’s fucking had it. 

“Can you shut the hell up,  _ please,” _ He growls, and they’ve both finally turned to look at each other. 

“I haven’t said a thing, Brick.” Blossom responds chillingly, and they spend several long seconds glaring at each other. It’s a challenge, they both know it, but Blossom relents and averts her gaze. For some reason, Brick doesn’t feel the usual satisfaction he gets out of their spats.

Several more minutes of silence pass before Blossom breaks it again. “Why are you always so aggressive with me?” Her voice is very small, almost reminiscent of a child asking why they’re not allowed to have a toy. A part of him feels apologetic. The other part of him speaks. 

“Ha! Like you and your sisters haven’t been shitty to us since the day we got here.” 

“Watch your language,” She chides. “And how did you expect to be met? Last time you and your brothers were in Townsville you tried to kill us and destroy it, Brick!” 

Brick is indignant. “We were children, if you don’t recall,” 

“We still are children!”

“ _ It was seven fucking years ago, Blossom.”  _ Brick grinds out, teeth clenched in anger. 

“And so you thought that showing up out of nowhere and asking for acceptance without explaining how or why you got here was going to gain you immediate trust?” Blossom asks, incredulous. “In what world does that make any sense?” 

“Well we won’t ever know, because you never tried!” Brick roared, his fine-tuned control finally cracking. For the supposed keepers of “justice” in Townsville, they weren’t particularly fucking just in any way. Expecting a blowup on the side of Blossom, he readied the venom on his tongue, but no such blow up came. 

Several tense moments of silence passed, but Blossom finally sighed and spoke. “Then I’ll try,” Her eyes flashed to his. “But keep in mind, trust is earned.”

Surprised at her relenting, his guard dropped slightly. “Yeah,” He said, swallowing. He noticed her gaze momentarily flicker to the action. “got it.”

He could hear her thinking as yet another moment of prolonged silence passed between them, before she finally said “What’s your favorite color?” 

“...Really?” 

Blossom’s cheeks reddened, and she turned away with a small huff that Brick absolutely did not find cute. At all. “We have to start somewhere,” She grumbled. He sighed. 

“Red, obviously. You?”

“Pink,  _ obviously _ .” She was mimicking him, a small grin on her face. Before he could say anything, she continued. “Why’d you come back?” 

He gave her an irritated look. “You know I can’t tell you that.” 

“And now you see why I can’t trust you, Brick. We can’t develop a two-way relationship of trust if you insist on keeping things from me.” The grin was gone, replaced by her usual slightly-annoyed look she always gave him. A part of him wished it wasn’t.

“Listen, Blossom, you’re going to have to trust me that it’s better you don’t know why or how my brothers and I came back. It makes everyone in Townsville safer.” 

“You care about the safety of Townsville?” 

“I don’t, particularly. I care about myself and my brothers, but I know you care about the safety of Townsville.” He knew the second the realization passed her face that she understood. Neither of them had to say the name, because one thought would be enough to be found. 

“You’re hiding…” She said quietly. He gave her a look, neither confirming nor denying her statement. “Brick, you could’ve just said so.” 

“Oh yeah, I’m just gonna waltz right into the home of the super beings that I’ve tried to kill multiple times and ask for their help. Sounds like a fucking  _ grand _ idea to me.” Her glare was back, matched by his. 

“We would’ve at least heard you out,” She said indignantly, her lower lip coming forward slightly in a small pout. 

“Is that so? That’s why you’ve been so readily available to listen to me or my brothers? Because certainly the great, powerful, kind, understanding Blossom Utonium would never be immediately distrustful of someone purely because they’d had a bad past.” 

Blossom fell silent, once again having defied Brick’s expectations. They sat in that silence for several minutes. 

“Yeah.” Blossom said finally, but her voice was still small. 

“Yeah?” He echoed, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

He waited for her to elaborate, but no such elaboration came. They had gone back to sitting in silence, and god, did Brick hate the silence when he knew there were both things each of them wanted to say. He’d noticed her open her mouth and then immediately close it with a frown, which was annoying to him. 

He sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. 

“Why can’t we just treat each other like humans?” It doesn’t feel like a question particularly aimed at him, but rather just said to be in the air. He still answers it.

“Because we aren’t. You three were created in a lab, and as far as I know, so was I. Boomer and Butch, too.” 

“So then what are we, Brick? If we’re not humans, and we’re not monsters, what else is there?” 

He’s silent for a moment because, well, he really doesn’t know. He wagers she probably doesn’t know either. “Abberations? Mistakes?  _ Scientific Marvels? _ ” The last words are spit with more anger than anything else. It’s a phrase he’d heard the Townsville news many years back, and it’d stuck with him. If the girls were scientific marvels, what were the boys?

“What defines a human? Humanity as a whole?” She asked, and the question caught him off guard, a little bit. 

“...Mortality.” He replied after several seconds, and the way her eyes widened when he said it was not lost on him. 

“Are you familiar with the philosophy of absurdism?” He lit up, and Blossom smiled just a little bit at him having done so. 

“Camus?” He asked, his tone neutral, as if he were trying to temper his reaction.

“Yes. The idea that life is inherently meaningless, but despite that we should constantly rebel by embracing all that humanity has to offer was present in much of his writing. But that,” She finally meets his gaze. “That’s how I view being super. Physically we’re better than humans, but that doesn’t mean that we have any more meaning than they do. But we do have more ability.

“Answering the call to be a hero is embracing what our lives have to offer. We have the ability, and that ability allows us- requires us- to protect our fellow humans. Do you understand, Brick?” 

He looked at her with awe in his eyes, seen only past his carefully guarded expression. 

“I don’t.” For all of his admiration for her, she was still wrong. “We are super, and yet we go to high school as if they have anything to offer us. And then we save these humans who have nothing to offer us so we can...what? Not feel bad about the fact that we have powers? You save humans because you care about those humans, Blossom. It’s not an obligation.” 

Seconds passed, and a silence overtook them yet again. A common theme between them, he noted.

“I do,” She whispered, eyes downcast. “I love my friends and my family, and I care about the citizens of Townsville because even though I don’t know them, they still have every right to live a normal life-” 

“Don’t you?” 

“I thought we weren’t normal, Brick,” She quipped. 

“I’m going by your logic here. Don’t you have every right to have a normal life the same way they do?” 

“I am living my normal life. The normal life of those blessed with power is to use it to protect those who don’t.” 

He shook his head. “So you fight because it’s normal for you?” 

“You’re not understanding me!” 

“I’m playing by your rules!” The conversation is heated once again, and Brick is half-ready to jump out of his chair. 

“You want to know why I fight, Brick? I fight because I’m obligated, I fight because I care about the citizens, and I fight because I love my family and friends, and you would know that if you would just  _ listen _ to me! You’ve fought with me in the past, Brick, so why do  _ you _ fight?” 

“Because you asked me to!” 

“And you’re incapable of saying no to me?” 

That shut him right up. His face was heated, and he had just noticed how entrancingly interesting the floor was. He’d said no to her so many times before, but there was something about the way she’d asked him then- tears had been brimming in her eyes and she’d looked desperate. He’d said yes to her then because he couldn’t say no, the words wouldn’t form in his mouth so yes, in a way, he had been incapable of saying no to her. 

He hadn’t even realized how much time had passed between them when he felt a weight on his head. Despite his hat, he knew it was Blossom’s hand, touching him tenderly. 

“I’m sorry for yelling, Brick. I just don’t understand you sometimes, and it frustrates me. I know we’re trying to understand each other,” A sigh. “And I promise, I’m trying to.

“Brick, I’m frustrated that you don’t see the world and our powers the way I see them, I’ll be honest. But that night, the time you helped us, I saw the smile on your face. Whether it was the thrill of combat, or fighting with us, or whatever...I hope to see that smile again.” 

“I wasn’t smiling.” He had been, but he couldn’t admit that to her. Especially not to her. The childishness of his response had not been lost on him, but he couldn’t think of anything to say and she was standing so close and comfortingly touching his hat-  _ his hat _ \- and. And. 

Truthfully, he didn’t know how he was feeling. 

“I’ll ask Boomer and Butch. Put whether we help you to a vote.” He said, because it was concrete and Brick needed something concrete right now..

“Brick,” She moved her hand, but her voice was soft and inviting and- shit. He’d looked up at her only to find that she was wearing a quiet smile and he couldn’t break eye contact. “Thanks. For listening and trying. I don’t fully trust you yet, and I’m sorry for that, but I’ll work on it.”

“Yeah,” he said, “me too.” 

Ms. Keane was happy to let them leave when she found them in the middle of quiet, friendly conversation. 

-

The fight was difficult. By the time they had hit seventeen years old, the only monsters that were able to make it through the professor’s barrier were monsters that were bigger, badder, and could take hits much harder than normal monsters. This fact meant that even with both the Powerpuffs and the Rowdyruffs, they still took tremendous effort to take down. This monster was no different.

Blue, Green, and Red streaks shot out of their classrooms and into the air the second they heard civilians screaming, and the fight began as all monster fights in Townsville did. Boomer and Bubbles were on pedestrian duty, making sure everyone got out safely with the least amount of property damage possible, while the other four of them got to work on either killing or subduing the monster.

The large three headed monster reared back the two side heads and angled them both towards Buttercup, and large lasers shot out of each mouth directly at her. Butch threw up a shield in a vein attempt to protect her, but it was broken easily and she shot directly back, crashing into the street with a large crack. Brick didn’t need to look at his brother to know he was absolutely furious. 

“Blossom, take the right head!” Brick commanded, moving for the middle and already seeing Butch shooting at the left. Chemical X crackled in the air as several pairs of eye beams hit each head of the monster, sending it reeling backwards. They only succeeded in pissing it off, though, as it moved back on its hind legs and came crashing down, causing a large tremor and also trying to bite the three teens who had just attacked it on its way down. Blossom and Brick dodged, but Butch was caught in it’s jaw as it clamped down onto him only to throw him to the ground seconds later.

Brick and Blossom resumed their attacks, and two green streaks shot through the air as Butch and Buttercup recovered at nearly the same time, both aiming good hits at the monster’s chest. There was a loud sound as both of their fists connected with the monster’s tough hide, but it was only pushed back and seemed mostly undamaged.

_ What the fuck is this thing even made out of?  _ thought Brick as he and Blossom hit the leftmost head with their eye beams, and the combined power was enough to create a small wound, and Brick laser-focused in on that. 

“Left head, near the base of the neck!” He called out to no one in particular, knowing that everyone in the group would understand what he meant. Butch was the first to zoom over, focusing a lot of his Chemical X into a strong blast centered right at the wound. Brick immediately recognized the stupid move, Butch had left himself wide open to the attack.

Brick’s warning didn’t come out fast enough. Butch succeeded in taking out the monster’s leftmost head, but he wasn’t paying attention to the rightmost.

The head had snapped directly down onto Butch, and with all the Chemical X he’d exerted, there was barely any protection as the razor sharp teeth tore into his torso. Blood splattered, and it felt like time slowed. 

Several things happened very quickly. Buttercup screamed “ _ Don’t touch him _ !”, and summoned all the Chemical X in her body to focus it into a laser that shot directly through the head that had just bitten Butch. The blast eviscerated the head, and both Butch and Buttercup lamely fell to the ground, the latter largely from exhaustion. 

Brick was glowing, fury pouring out of him in a dark aura as he shot forward at top speed, flying directly through the tough hide of the monster and out the other side, growling out a “You’ll regret ever hurting my brother, you son of a bitch!” as he did so. 

Bubbles grabbed the monster by it’s remaining head and flung it up into the air where Boomer was waiting. He formed a large, spiked bat and hit the creature with all his might, crushing the remaining head and sending the lifeless body hurdling towards Monster Isle. 

When Brick turned around, he saw Blossom had already picked up her sister and his brother and was speeding back towards the professor’s lab. A feeling passed through him and he shot home, not even uttering a goodbye to anyone. He’d see them later. 

For now, he needed to be alone. Fast.

-

Ten minutes passed before Blossom started to worry. She had assumed Brick would be right behind her, but when she’d landed his brother and her sister in the Professor’s lab, he hadn’t shown. After she was absolutely sure both Butch and Buttercup were going to be okay, she left to head to Brick’s apartment. 

Flying towards the door, she landed and opened it gently, floating so as not to make a sound. She heard Brick before she saw him, hearing a loud bang come from his room followed by yelling. 

“ _ I should’ve been faster! _ ” Brick yelled again, putting yet another dent in a large piece of steel by his bed. 

“Brick?” Blossom asked, voice racked with worry, finally letting her feet touch the ground. He whipped around, and she noticed his shocked expression and the hot tears of frustration streaming down his face. 

“Blossom,” He breathed, voice unexpectedly soft, like he wasn’t quite sure if it was actually her. She moved quietly, the extreme hurt in his eyes and tears still escaping his eyes spurring her on until she wrapped her arms around his torso. After several seconds, he just bowed his head into her shoulder and sniffled.

“I should’ve been faster, he wouldn’t have been hurt if I,” Brick’s sentence was interrupted by him trying to stifle a sob, but only succeeding in making a very pained noise instead. “Goddammit.” 

Several seconds of silence, and she held him a little closer, squeezing a little tighter. “Let it out.” She told him, her voice adopting a soothing tone. To his credit, he listened. Brick let himself cry into her shoulder, his arms limp at his side as he leaned into her warm embrace. 

She didn’t know how long he cried, but just that he eventually stopped. After about a minute of silence, she started to pull away but his arm came up to stop her, pulling her back into him. An unspoken plea from a mouth too proud to ever vocalize, but- she understood. He was warm, and he smelled good, and truth be told? She didn’t really want to move at all. 

Minutes of comfortable silence passed, only punctuated by the occasional sniffle from Brick, where Blossom just let herself enjoy the moment. 

-

Boomer walked into the brother’s shared apartment initially there to grab some extra clothes for Butch to change into once he wakes. A few steps in, he notices that Brick’s door is slightly ajar, his super hearing allowing him to pick up small breathing from inside. 

Cautiously he opens the door, silently thanking every deity he can think of that their doors don’t squeak. Peering inside, Boomer gasps and then immediately moves a hand to his mouth to muffle the noise, barely believing what he sees. 

On Brick’s bed, he sees his brother fast asleep on his back with Blossom resting stomach down on top of him. Her cheek is pressed against Brick’s chest, and one of his hands is resting lightly on top of her head, close to her signature bow. His other hand is resting on the small of her back curled into a small fist, holding loosely to a bit of her dress. Her hands are holding onto his shoulders, also slightly scrunched into a possessive fist. 

Boomer’s first thought is exactly what he does, snapping a quick picture and sending it to his girlfriend. Bubbles responds immediately, with a “omg how cute!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧” followed by two follow up texts that say “you should send it to them” and then “but no one else though”. Boomer agrees but decides to hold out on doing so until he’s safely out of the building, quickly grabbing Butch’s clothes and flying out. 

-

When Brick woke up, he found Blossom asleep on top of him. He sighed, closing his eyes and doing his best to fall back asleep. He doesn’t want to ruin a good thing, again. 

His hand stroked through her hair until sleep found him again, and it was okay. He was okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> haha. they're stupid.  
twitter is @wrcassnessa


End file.
